1. Field
This disclosure is generally related to signal processors and in particular to an optical image processor.
2. Description of Related Art
Log-polar mapping, biologically-inspired by analytic formulation of cortical mapping of the primate visual system, exists as a method that reduces image data size drastically but also gives rotation- and scale-invariant (RS-invariant) property. It translates rotation and scaling into translation in two orthogonal directions. This property is applicable for an active vision system where a camera is motorized for changing its gaze position. That is, such system utilizes a log-polar image for implementing rotation- scale- and translation-invariant (RST-invariant) image matching by regarding control of the camera's gaze position at a target as equivalent with translation. In order to acquire the log-polar image, a special CCD or CMOS log-polar chip, that is, a retina-like fovea sensor exists, where a united size of photosensitive elements increases as going to periphery. This fovea sensor has been incorporated into some active vision systems for the purpose of image matching. As another fovea sensor, a wide-angle foveated lens exists for acquiring the log-polar image by distorting a projected image geometrically.
A specially-made optics, such as a Wide-Angle Foveated (WAF) lens, exists where a projected image is distorted geometrically. It combines the special lens with a commercially available conventional linear-coordinate vision chip, where photosensitive elements are arranged uniformly.